PALM SHORES — A woman’s body was discovered after a fire Saturday evening in a Palm Shores rental home, authorities said.
Flames were seen burning through the home in the 1800 block of Elm Drive, just north of Melbourne, at about 5 p.m. Saturday. Brevard County Fire Rescue responded and put out the blaze. The body was not immediately identified by the sheriff’s office or the fire marshal.
A home at 1805 Elm Drive in Palm Shores just north of Melbourne is seen Sunday, a day after a fire gutted the structure and left a woman dead.
Organizers of a GoFundMe account identified the woman as Crystal Bankston.
The state fire marshal was leading an investigation into the direct cause of the blaze. It was not immediately clear if foul play was suspected.
Bankston and her mother lived in the home, said James Falvey, who rented the home to the women. “She’s just devastated,” Falvey said of Bankston’s mother. As of Sunday afternoon, $1,125 had been raised.
The home was destroyed in the fire. An investigation is ongoing.
J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. X, formerly known as Twitter: @JDGallop.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: House fire claims life of Palm Shores resident